A Cure For Loneliness
by 1stBatgirl
Summary: The Doctor is lonely on Valentine's Day. Can he find something that can cure his loneliness?


The Doctor sighed as he lowered the Tardis down. He didn't immediately rush out to see where he was, but instead checked the date on the monitor and chuckled humorlessly. It was Valentine's Day. A stupid human holiday designed to make people feel lonely. And it was working. He took a deep breath. It smelled like it was going to rain.

The Doctor strode out of the Tardis and stopped in his tracks. Could it be? That's not possible. He must be seeing things. That blonde girl looked like Rose. His Rose. The girl he had loved, but had lost. There was no way she could be here, he told himself as she walked toward a coffee shop, across the road. Almost against his will, he followed her into the shop.

She gave her order to the barista and sat down at a table in the corner. The girl looked lonely, the Doctor thought. He still hadn't gotten a good look at her face. He had to have an excuse to talk to her. He ran over to the counter where the barista was setting the girl's drink down. "I can take this to her." The Doctor told the man with a smile. "Oh, and I'll have a cup of cocoa, please." The barista nodded and swiftly prepared the Doctor's drink. The Doctor paid and picked up his cocoa and the girl's coffee.

The Doctor tried to walk casually as he approached the girl's table. She turned to face him and he caught his breath. It was her! His Rose was back after all this time. He would worry about how she was even here later. Right now, all he could do was drink in the sight of her.

She hadn't changed much. She was still her pink and yellow self. Rose had her hair thrown up in a messy ponytail and she was wearing a blue shirt and jeans. "Hello." She said suddenly, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Hi." The doctor responded, telling himself to be calm. Of course she didn't recognize him, he had regenerated since he last saw her.

He handed handed her coffee to her. "Thanks." She hesitated for a second then she smiled. "Do you want to sit down?"

"Oh, sure thanks." The Doctor answered, his heart jumping in his chest as he sat down across from her.

Rose held out her hand. "I'm Rose. Rose Tyler."

"John Smith." The Doctor replied as he took her hand and shook it.

Sadness flickered across Rose's face for a second. "I used to have a friend who really liked that name." For a moment she looked lost in memories, but she shook herself out of it. "So what brings you out today?" She questioned politely. "Valentine shopping for a lady?"

"Hardly." The Doctor laughed. "It's just me."

"Just you?" Rose looked curious. "No family? Friends?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No."

He could see Rose's face fill with compassion. "I'm sorry."

"How about you?" The Doctor asked, changing the subject quickly. "Do you have any family or friends?"

"I used to." Rose said sadly. "But I lost them."

The Doctor could barely contain himself. He had so many questions. Why wasn't she still on the parallel world? Where was the other him? And her family, where were they? He needed to tell her who he was, but found himself tongue tied.

He fixed his bowtie and cleared his throat several times, before he began speaking. "Do you have a mother or father?"

"Yes." Rose nodded and sipped her drink. "They just have their own lives, you know?"

"No boyfriend or anything?" The Doctor asked, trying not to sound nosy.

"Nope. There was a guy for a while, but then he ,well he died." She looked down as she said this, and the Doctor saw her eyes were rimmed with tears. "He saved me from getting shot during an armed robbery at the place where we worked together. I- I couldn't save him."

Without thinking, the Doctor covered her hand with his own. "I'm sorry." He said softly.

Rose half smiled and wiped away a stray tear. "I don't know why I'm telling you this." She said with a chuckle. "It just feels like we've met before. I feel like I can trust you."

The Doctor couldn't wait any longer. "Can I show you something?" He stood and held out his hand to Rose.

"Okay." Rose responded, grabbing his hand and pulling herself up. He led the way outside and walked toward his Tardis,which was behind a dumpster across the street. All of a sudden it started raining. They were going to get soaked.

"Come on!" The Doctor yelled, clasping her hand and pullling her behind the dumpster.

"Wha-" Rose started to ask, but stopped at the sight of the Tardis. "Where did that come from?" Rose's whole face changed and she looked ecstatic. Running up to the door, she pounded on it. "Doctor? Doctor, you in there?"

"He can't hear you." The Doctor interjected, immediately quieting her pounding.

'Why not?" Rose asked, turning to him.

"Because he's not in there right now." The Doctor answered cautiously. He watched as his meaning sunk in. They both seemed to have forgotten they were standing outside in the drenching rain.

"Doctor?" Rose reached toward him then stopped herself.

"It's okay." The Doctor whispered.

She gently touched his face. "It's you, isn't it? You've regenerated again."

"Yes." The Doctor closed his hand around hers, which was gingerly resting on his face.

Rose started crying and threw her arms around him. "Doctor! Oh, I've missed you so much!"

They stood there in the pouring rain, two lost souls who had found each other, neither willing to let the other go. Eventually they made their way into the Tardis and sat at the table in the kitchen.

"I didn't really tell you everything earlier. About what really happened." Rose began, taking a deep breath. "The Doctor, well the other Doctor worked with me at the local bank. One day, several men came in with guns and told me to empty the cash out. I did what they asked as quickly as I could, but I guess it wasn't fast enough for them. They pointed a gun at me, but before they could pull the trigger, the Doctor jumped in front of me."

By now, Rose had tears running down her face. "About a year after he died, a man came, offering to sell a parallel world jumper. I accepted it."

"Where are your parents?" The Doctor asked, his voice gentle.

"They came over with me." Rose answered with a grin. "They wouldn't take no for an answer. Right now, they live in an apartment in New York."

"You've had a hard time of it then." The Doctor said sympathetically.

"I'm sure not as hard as you." Rose countered. Before the Doctor could speak again, Rose sighed deeply. "There's something else I haven't told you."

"Is it bad?" The Doctor was half joking and half serious.

"It could be good or bad." Rose responded with a tiny smile. "When I looked into the heart of the Tardis, and I defeated the Daleks, and revived Jack and all that, I had a side effect."

"Oh?" The Doctor was getting nervous. "What side effect?"

"I- I can't die."

"What?!" The Doctor jumped up from his chair. "You can't?"

Rose shook her head. "No, I can't. I'm just like Jack." She had expected the Doctor to be upset, but he was grinning like a kid at Christmas time.

"Don't you see?" He waved his arms around wildly. That was new, Rose noted. "I can stay with you! We can be together, for as long as we like!"

Rose was beginning to understand why he was so excited. She grinned, jumped up and danced around, then threw her arms around the Doctor. After their excitement died down, Rose hooked her arms around his neck. "Doctor, I love you."

The Doctor froze. He had relived that moment in Bad Wolf Bay so many times in his head. All the things he could have done different, and how he should have told her that he loved her too. Now he could. Smiling, he smoothed her hair back. "I love you too." He said this softly, but Rose could hear all the emotion in his words.

The Doctor lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. Rose wrapped her arms around him and pulled him even closer. When they split apart they both just looked at each other and smiled.

"So." The Doctor cleared his throat. "Where do you want to go first?"

"Oh, I don't know somewhere amazing." Rose replied with a big grin. The Doctor could barely contain his joy. He had his Rose back and all was right with the world. The Doctor and Rose Tyler were in the Tardis. Together. Just as it should be.

 **A.N- Please review :D**


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